Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol, center, of Spain, has been with the team through both good times and bad. Monday night, he enters free agency and the team has said it has big-name players it wants to pursue before courting Gasol. (Alex Gallardo/The Associated Press)

In this file photo, the Los Angeles Lakers' Pao Gasol smiles a a young fan in the front row as he waits for a freethrow against the Denver Nuggets at the Staple Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014. (Scott Varley/Daily Breeze file)

The hands dropped down from the Staples Center railing as Pau Gasol entered the players’ tunnel.

This may have marked the last time Lakers fans could interact with Gasol, who quickly exchanged high-fives, posed for pictures and signed autographs. After several minutes, Gasol stopped. A few fans then pleaded for him to stay.

“I have to go,” Gasol said before heading to the Lakers’ locker room. “I’m sorry!”

Did the scene following the Lakers’ home finale in mid-April mark Gasol’s last game? After surviving trade discussions the past three years, Gasol will become a free agent at 9:01 p.m. PST on Monday.

Gasol has not ruled the Lakers out, but he prefers signing with a team equipped to win an NBA championship. The Lakers appear unlikely to do that after finishing last season with the worst record in L.A. franchise history. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak calls re-signing Gasol a “priority,” but the team will first pursue LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.

Should Gasol leave, how will he reflect on his Lakers’ legacy?

“It’s been amazing, for the most part,” Gasol said. “If I don’t come back, that’s how I’ll still feel about it. I’m always going to be thankful for everything I experienced in this city.”

Instant impact

The Lakers struggled containing their excitement.

On Feb. 1, 2008, the Lakers acquired Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies for Kwame Brown, Aaron McKie, Javaris Crittenton, two first-round picks and the rights to Pau’s brother Marc, who the Lakers drafted with a second-round pick in 2007.

“We instantly knew we had everything we needed to win a championship,” recalled New York Knicks coach and former Lakers teammate Derek Fisher. “We had that belief we would win once Pau arrived.”

The Lakers, including Gasol, struggled in a six-game Finals loss to Boston that season. But Gasol became the Lakers’ missing piece after a missed playoff appearance and two first-round playoff exits in the previous three years. Gasol limited Dwight Howard in the Lakers’ 2009 NBA Finals win over Orlando. Gasol exacted revenge against Boston in the 2010 Finals, his 19 points and 18 rebounds securing a Game 7 victory. Gasol’s versatility, fundamentals and post moves seamlessly blended into Phil Jackson’s triangle offense.

That left a few Lakers wondering if the franchise would eventually retire Gasol’s No. 16 jersey.

“Getting a Lakers jersey retired is different than most organizations with the history it has, but he has to be in serious contention,” said former Lakers forward Luke Walton, an analyst with Time Warner Cable SportsNet. “It wouldn’t have been possible for us to go to three straight Finals and win two straight championships without Pau.”

A trusted ally

Kobe Bryant spent most of last summer at the Lakers’ practice facility rehabbing his left Achilles tendon. After completing treatment on his knees, Gasol provided Bryant some company.

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“Kobe seemed genuinely excited to see Pau,” recalled freelance photographer Lori Shepler, who captured the exchange for her book, “Gasol: Life/Vida.” “The simplicity of that moment showed that beyond the two being extremely gifted basketball players, they have this simple appreciation for each other.”

In the foreword of Shepler’s book, Bryant called Gasol his “brother.” Although Bryant clashed with Shaquille O’Neal and Howard, the Bryant-Gasol pairing usually resembled a well-conducted orchestra.

“They’re much different personality-wise, but they get along and complement each other,” Lakers guard Jordan Farmar said. “They have a lot of respect for each other.”

Gasol occasionally lamented Bryant’s high-volume shooting. Bryant has implored Gasol to improve his aggressiveness. Those incidents pale compared to the support they offer. Bryant criticized the Lakers’ front office for dangling Gasol in trade talks in 2012. Each offseason, Bryant publicly pleaded for the Lakers to keep Gasol. In the last two seasons, Bryant agreed with Gasol’s frustration over Mike D’Antoni’s fast-paced offense. Gasol also defended Bryant this season when he questioned the front office again.

“I won championships and I’ve been in playoff battles with him,” Bryant said in 2012 about Gasol. “I’ve gotten swept with him. We lost in the Finals together. I’m not ever going to sit around and let him be down.”

Gasol also suggested Bryant could convince him to stay with the Lakers.

“I never took it for granted,” Gasol said of Bryant’s relationship. “I’m always going to be very supportive of him. I appreciate his great respect and support he showed even in the rough and difficult times.”

Never-ending uncertainty

The most difficult time happened Dec. 8, 2011.

Their four-game sweep to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 Western Conference semifinals coupled with Gasol’s postseason struggles prompted the Lakers to make another move. The Lakers traded Gasol to Houston in a three-team trade for Chris Paul, but the NBA nixed the deal.

“Pau has handled it in a very professional manner,” Fisher said. “But to have a team basically tell you they don’t want you, but then you still work there? I’m sure that’s been pretty challenging.”

The Lakers valued Gasol enough not to expend him in subsequent trades. But Gasol still became a chip in trade talks. Yet, Kupchak admired how Gasol handled success and adversity.

“It’s a tough part of the business to see a player that’s given so much maybe move on,” Kupchak said. “But two of the banners in this building are here because of Pau. He’s revered in this town. He was welcomed with open arms when we traded for him and he’s been an ideal citizen. Every year he’s been productive. So his legacy here will carry on no matter what happens this summer.”

Philosophical differences

Gasol never faulted the Lakers’ front office for trying to trade him in the Paul deal. Although he preferred having security, Gasol understood why he stayed in trade discussions. Gasol somewhat accepted former Lakers coach Mike Brown reducing his role in the 2011-12 season to accommodate an emerging Andrew Bynum. But Gasol disliked D’Antoni prioritizing outside shooting and a fast pace over his preference for post play.

“Mike and I had our misunderstandings,” Gasol said. “The philosophy of having two big men, low-post interior players was very hard to make happen.”

In the 2012-13 season, Gasol became an outside shooter to cater to Howard’s preference for the post in hopes he would stay. Earl Clark started over Gasol for six games because it fit D’Antoni’s want for smaller and quicker lineups. Meanwhile, Gasol suffered a variety of ailments that kept him limited and sidelined for a combined 33 games.

“I don’t know if it was a good idea,” D’Antoni told the Los Angeles News Group about Gasol’s bench role before resigning in late April. “The thought process was we can’t keep going status quo and keep losing.”

D’Antoni appeared to lose favor with Gasol after he sarcastically said he would “like to win this game” to explain a fourth-quarter benching shortly into his Lakers’ coaching stint. D’Antoni wanted to motivate Gasol into improving his conditioning and defense.

In D’Antoni’s second season, Gasol became the Lakers’ featured center and his production (17.4 points on 48 percent shooting) marked a slight drop-off from his career averages (18.3 points on 51.5 percent). Gasol still occasionally griped about D’Antoni’s philosophies, while D’Antoni often retorted. Yet, D’Antoni offered Gasol an olive branch.

“He’s a good guy,” D’Antoni said of Gasol. “He’s a champion and one of the best that has played his position with an organization that has had a lot of great players.”

Philanthropic impact

He has visited patients at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles at least four times a year, viewing spinal surgeries, donating more than $250,000 and installing a fellowship that entails the hospital training doctors from his native Spain.

Through MySafe:LA, Gasol spoke to various elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, and he helped the Los Angeles Fire Department record videos in both English and Spanish about fire safety. Gasol and his brother, Marc, created a foundation last year that initially entailed visiting the Boys and Girls Club in downtown Los Angeles, encouraging exercise and a healthy diet to reduce the country’s obesity rate. What will happen to these projects if Gasol leaves the Lakers?

“Pau has always told me, I’ll always be involved no matter what,” said Dr. David Skaggs, chief orthopedic surgeon of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, a refrain also echoed by spokespeople with MySafeLA and Gasol’s foundation. “Whether he was here winning a championship or experiencing the worst season that he’s ever had, Pau has always been positive and giving. Our society needs leaders like Pau.”